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If you have carefully been following the many Cameroon’s beauty pageants , then you are probably already familiar with Manka Nadine’s remarkable journey as a model and activist .

This accomplished but humble model was the first runner up at Miss West Africa Cameroon 2011 and a recent subject of the TOYP, JCI Cameroon’s Ten Outstanding Young Person. As her popularity rose, she became the face of many Cameroon designers such as Afroshic Clothing. Her patent beauty and composed self placed her as a feature in WINENUS Official Video. Manka Nadine also owns a blog where she often shares alot about herslef. You can visit her blog here manka Nadine ‘s Blog

Manka Nadine is an altruistic young woman to reckon with, she is the Vice President of Redemptive Education Initiative Cameroon, her selfless concern for others in her community earned her a place for the United Nation’s pageant (where she was a Cameroon delegate).

During my recent interview with this sound devoted activist, it was no doubt beauty was not to serve her personal benefits, but rather, is a tool she uses to highlight the course dear to her heart and for which she stands for (this is improving literacy rate among young people in Cameroon). Here is my modest conversation (interview) with this remarkable lady: Manka Nadine speaks:

Thanks for new year wishes

Same to u dear

Tell about your journey into modelling ?

Wow..I love this question..a lot of pple always get it wrong. I didn’t exactly set out to be a model. Am an Accountant. But it so happened that in my final year of university I took part in a beauty pageant. A popular beauty pageant Miss West Africa Cameroon. My participation in that pageant pulled a lot of public eyes on me and I ended up as the first runner up. The public attention just made me a public figure in a way. One thing let to another.. I started representing NGOS designers used me for photo shoots and same year I got an award from Junior Chamber International as one of the 10 most outstanding young Cameroonian of 2011. Tv shows invited me as guests the pple started calling me a model

Through my search on you, I discovered you took part in the UN’s pageant, tell me what it meant for you ?

You know what they say..beauty with a purpose. Use your talent to serve humanity..that’s basically what it was about. It was an honour to be the one to represent Cameroon for it. It was just a great honour for me. I was honoured to be Cameroons delegate for that platform. And it is actually a very wonderful initiative

You can say that again “beauty with a purpose” So Nadine, you are one of Cameroon’s Altruistic young women, tell me,what do you stand for , what are you defending as a activist?

No child is asked to be born. Therefore if a child is born that child deserves to be well taken care of it not by their own biological parents if they are no.more but the community in which they are owes them that responsibility. Especially when it comes to acquiring basic education

Literacy gives people tools with which to improve their livelihood..partake in community decision making..gain access to information about health care and above all it enables them to realise their rights and duties as citizens and as Human beings. Therefore we cannot under estimate the empowering role of.literacy if Cameroon has to achieve its goal of becoming an emerging nation by 2035

I educate pple about the empowering role of literacy especially in the suburbs and the NGO I work with Redemptive Education Initiative..am actually the vice president Der..thats our goal. To identity as many kids as possible who roam the street every academic year and send them back to the classrooms where they belong

As you pointed out about the promise of Cameroon being an emerging one at the horizon 2035, How is this long date going to impair the course you stand for; especially with the fast evolution of technological innovation?

Did u say long date!! 2035 is just next door. I even see it rather close.

But the impact of technology will facilitate the process coz technology has made everything smart. Things can be done faster than normal. With the presence of technology..yes 2035 looks long coz with technology every thing is smart. But the Cameroon of 2035 that our president envisions is close but we are getting there and as for Redemption we don’t see any impairment. We are constant with our activities one day at a time and before u know it we would have done a great deal. And hey!! Its not only us. We have a lot of organizations put Der working on same course. Even the United Nations is working on the same course that why u find basic education in its millennium development goals. We are not alone. We have brother n sister organizations we partner with and with such strength tere is no impairment

You said you are the vice president of Redemptive Education Initiative, So what does thisorganisationdo to ameliorate the low literacy rate amount young people in Cameroon?

We identify kids on.the street who cannot afford a basic education yet have the potential to go through school every academic year and we send them back to school

To be continued ……..stay tuned for more on my discusion with the beauty Manka Nadine